Of Filmmaking and Basketball
by peachy007
Summary: Tommy's jealousy comes into play when one of his best friends is asked out by the star basketball player. Just a quick little one-shot.


**Disclaimer: I don't own Rugrats/All Grown Up, or the characters.**

**Author's Note: It's possible this made more sense in my head, but I came up with a storyline and did the best I could with it. I hope it didn't come out too rushed. Hope you all enjoy. **

Tommy Pickles took his attention off of his filming for a minute, momentarily enthralled with all the activity in front of him. It was no secret in their small middle school that Tommy Pickles aspired to be a film-maker one day. In fact, it was probably a well-known fact throughout their small town. After all, the Java Lava was the ultimate hangout and how many amateur films had he, himself, debuted there? So, when the school news crew had asked him to film a special segment on the basketball team, he was more than happy to take it on.

He smirked as he crossed his arms and leaned against the wall, watching some of his fellow classmates dribble, pass, and shoot the orange basketballs. It's not as though he had any personal interest in the sport. And he definitely wasn't the sports player in the group. That title belonged to Phil and Lil, respectively. No, Tommy Pickles was the film director. Just like Kimi was the artist, Chuckie was the computer nerd, and Dil… well, Dil was just Dil. And he was perfectly content with contributing his time solely to worthy film causes.

Tommy was shaken out of his thoughts by a loud _THUD_ on the wall beside him and he instinctively jumped to his camera stand, shielding it with his arms.

"Hey, watch it! Expensive equipment here!" He glared at the jersey-clad, blonde-haired boy who was running over to him with a sheepish grin.

"Sorry, Pickles." The boy, Todd, picked up the slowly rolling basketball, running a hand through his hair in the process.

Tommy rolled his eyes and sighed, turning off his camera and folding up the stand.

Todd coughed lightly. "So, uh…" He looked back, uneasy, towards his still-practicing team.

"Yes?" Tommy inquired, anxious to get home and begin editing.

"So, uh, that Lil girl you always hang with… You're not a thing are you?"

Tommy grimaced, zipping up his camera bag and slinging it over his shoulder. "Me and Lil? A thing?" He raised a questioning eyebrow.

Todd laughed nervously. "Yeah, you know, like a couple, or whatever."

"No, Lil and I aren't a _thing_." Tommy leaned down to grab his book bag and looked back up at Todd with another raise of his eyebrow.

"Why do you ask?"

Todd smiled. "I don't know. I think she's kinda cute. But I know you hang around with her and the Finster girl a lot. I didn't want to step on any toes if you were… you know… a _thing_."

Tommy shook his head. "No, we're not." He turned to leave, but paused before turning back to Todd. "But, I wouldn't hold my breath if I were you. Lil's not like that."

Todd frowned. "Like what?"

"She's not into boys and dating. She's not girly like that."

Todd grinned. "Alright, thanks for the tip, Pickles. Catch ya later!" And before Tommy could get in another word, Todd was half-way down the court. Tommy shook his head and started home. His mind now fully focused on his basketball segment and what he was going to do to make it really stand-out.

…

It was the next day during lunch and the kids were seated at their usual table. Well, most of them, anyway. It appeared Izzy had made an unexpected reappearance, which sat Dil, and about a half a dozen fellow classmates, a few tables away. And Lil…

"Where's Lil?" Phil asked no one in particular, scanning the cafeteria for his twin. Chuckie shrugged while Tommy grunted absentmindedly, his attention focused on his camera, which he had immediately taken out of its case upon sitting down. Kimi sighed disgustedly, pushing the camera away from Tommy's face. He glared at her.

"Seriously, Tommy. If I see that camera again, I have half a mind to smash it into the floor."

Before Tommy had a chance to respond, Kimi nodded towards the entrance to the cafeteria. "She's over there. Todd stopped her on the way in."

Both Tommy and Chuckie snapped their heads in that direction.

"Todd?! What does he want?" Phil asked, concern etching his voice.

Kimi shrugged. "So, when are you going to be finished with that stupid film anyway, Tommy?"

Tommy glared at her again, before placing the camera in his bag and zipping it up. "For your information, Kimi, it should be done by the end of the week. I have all the footage I need, I just have to cut it down and finish editing. I think I-"

Tommy was cut off by a shrieking Lil. "Oh my gosh!" Lil sat down beside Kimi and buried her face in her hands.

"What happened?" Kimi squealed.

Lil looked at her through her fingers. "He asked me out!"

"He what?!" Phil and Kimi asked simultaneously.

Tommy perked up. "What did you say?"

Lil looked down at her lunch tray, blushing furiously. "I said yes."

"Lillian, you and I need to have a talk." Phil said sternly to his sister.

She rolled her eyes. "Chill, Phil. We're just going to the Java Lava on Friday night. No biggie."

"So, does this mean you're like an official couple?" Kimi asked excitedly.

Lil shrugged. "I dunno. Not yet, at least. I don't think."

Chuckie smiled. "Lil and Todd sitting in a tree. K-I-S-S-I-N-G."

Phil shot him a warning glare. And throughout the newfound excitement, no one seemed to notice how quiet Tommy had gotten; or how fascinated he had suddenly become with the mashed potatoes on his lunch tray.

…

Tommy had been outside in front of his garage shooting baskets for the last hour. In that time, he had managed to make the ball into the hoop a total of three times. Technically, two, but he blamed gravity for one of the defects; after all, the ball _was_ teetering right there on the rim.

He sighed in aggravation and ran a hand through his hair before glancing next door. It was dark outside now, probably close to eight-thirty. He had seen Howard leave to take Lil on her date when he first came outside. If he was going to be honest, he might say he was intrigued by this whole 'Lil on a date' thing. It was the first that he knew of that anyone within their small group had been out on an official date. And if he was going to be completely honest with himself, he might say he was a little jealous. But, this is Tommy Pickles. And Tommy Pickles doesn't get jealous. Not when it comes to dating, and certainly not where one of his best friends is involved.

What Tommy Pickles was, in fact, was irritated. The basketball video was finished, and he had spent three hours after school today editing and polishing it for Monday, but he still wasn't satisfied with the finished product. He had had high expectations of himself for this project, and though there was no doubt in anyone's mind it was good, it was not spectacular. And if Tommy put his heart and mind fully into something, it had to be mind-blowing, no questions asked.

His attention was brought once more to the Deville's house, as he heard a car door slam. He looked away and dribbled the ball before shooting it against the awning of the garage. He growled in exasperation and ultimately decided to call it a night. It was clear by tonight's pathetic display of impotence and inability to shoot a ball through a net, that Tommy's main focus should remain on film directing. As he turned around to retrieve the fleeing ball, he bumped into no other than Lil Deville.

"Lil! What are you doing here?"

Lil shrugged before bending down to pick up the basketball. "Just got home, saw you out here." She handed him the basketball and then quirked an eyebrow. "I didn't know you actually used that old net."

Tommy rolled his eyes. "Yeah, I guess I just needed to reaffirm why it was I never did. Question answered. I suck." Lil chuckled lightly.

"So, how was your date?" Tommy asked, the words sounding uncharacteristically bitter coming from him. Lil didn't seem to notice. She shrugged and sat down on the porch swing.

"It was okay." Lil smiled at him softly and he passed her the basketball before taking a seat beside her.

"Just okay? A date with Todd Thomas and it was just okay? Geez, Lil, I'm a dude and even I know he's a high school mega-hunk."

Lil laughed again and Tommy flashed her a grin.

"I don't know, Tommy. I mean, he's really nice and I do like him, but all we did was go to the Java Lava and he talked about sports the whole time."

"So? I thought girls loved guys who were into sports."

Lil sighed and leaned back. "We do, but we also like guys who care about _us_, you know? Girls like guys that take the time to find out what they like, too. Just because we're both on sports teams doesn't mean I don't want him to ask me what other hobbies I like, or what kind of food I like."

Lil dropped her head to her hands, which were propped on her knees. The pair sat in silence for a minute.

"What if I already know?" Tommy asked softly.

"What?" Lil sat up and looked at him perplexed.

Tommy leaned back and closed his eyes for a moment. "What if I already know everything about you?" He opened his eyes and turned his head towards her.

"Tommy, we're best friends. Of course you know everything about me. Just like I know everything about you, Kimi, Chuckie…"

"I'm not talking about Kimi or Chuckie. I'm talking about you." Tommy leaned forward and ran a hand through his hair. He sighed. "I don't know, Lil. Knowing you were on a date with Todd just made me feel different today."

"Was Tommy Pickles jealous?" Lil teased.

Tommy smiled at her. "I guess so. I mean, I know your favorite restaurant is that Italian place by the theatre. And I know you're into sports, but I know you're also really sensitive. You cry during laundry commercials."

Lil blushed and Tommy smiled. "Tommy." Her voice was always sweet, but when she said his name, it sounded downright melodious. "When did you realize."

"That I had feelings for you?" Lil nodded.

Tommy shrugged. "I don't know, honestly. I just know I was never interested in learning how to play basketball until I found out you were going on a date with Todd."

Lil sighed and leaned forward to match Tommy. "Tommy, not all girls are into jocks. Some are interested in what movie you're coming out with next week." Tommy grinned.

"Really?"

Lil smiled back. "Really."

Tommy leaned his head close to Lil. Just as he mustered enough courage to reach his hand to the side of her face-

"LILLIAN!" Phil's head appeared from the porch next door, along with several flicks of the outside light. "MOM SAID TO GET YOUR BUTT INSIDE BEFORE YOU MISS CURFEW!" And then the slam of the door.

Lil let out a frustrated sigh and Tommy chuckled nervously. "I guess I should head home, then." She said, standing up. Tommy nodded and stood up beside her.

"I'll walk you."

The pair walked the short distance in silence. When they reached Lil's front door, she turned around to face him. She smiled warmly. "Thanks, Tommy. You know, for always being around to listen to me ramble."

Tommy shoved his hands in his pockets. "Sure, Lil. What are friends for, anyway, right?"

Lil's smile faltered, but she nodded. "Goodnight, Tommy."

And just as she was turning the doorknob, Tommy's hand caught her wrist. "Wait, Lil."

Lil spun around, and for a brief moment, her hazel eyes met his blue ones. Tommy didn't even think about it, he just crashed his lips onto Lil's, one hand cupping her cheek, the other encircling her waist. He knew he had caught her off guard, but he smiled against her when he felt her kiss him back. They parted, and Tommy leaned his forehead against hers.

"Now it is." He said softly.

"Now it is what?" She asked.

He smiled. "A good night."

He kissed her once more, this time softy, and with less urgency. When they parted for the second time, Tommy smiled at her. "I'll see you tomorrow, Lil." And with that, he stepped of the front stair and walked across the Deville's lawn, leaving a smiling Lil leaning breathlessly against her front door.


End file.
